87 Arrests, Encounter, Vandalised Shops: The Story Of Bahraich Violence

Shopkeepers in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich vacated shops and salvaged their goods on Saturday as a demolition drive was in the offing, a week after a man’s death during Durga Puja procession led to communal tensions and subsequent arrests.

What happened on October 13?

A 22-year-old man, identified as Ram Gopal Mishra, was shot dead in the Maharajganj area of the district during a communal flare-up after a group of people objected to loud music in front of a religious institution. A video circulated after the incident showed him removing a green flag from the rooftop of a house in a frenzy and supplanting it with a saffron flag. He was shot immediately afterward.

Mishra was taken to the hospital, where he was declared dead. This was followed by destruction of property, stone pelting and arson.

Communal tensions, an encounter and arrests

The district was on edge for days in the wake of the killings, witnessing various incidents of arson and vandalism, forcing the authorities to suspend internet for four days. Some shops, houses and vehicles were vandalised. A car showroom was set on fire on October 14, even as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath gave orders to the police to deal strictly with those disrupting law and order or spreading rumours. He also met Mishra’s family at his official residence in Lucknow, where he assured action against the accused.

Additional troops, including some paramilitary forces units, had to be called in to ensure surveillance.

Mishra’s family refused to cremate the body and held a sit-down protest, relenting only after assurances of action from the police and administration officials.

Five men suspected to be involved in Mishra’s death were arrested on Thursday after an encounter with the UP Police in which two of them Mohammad Talim and Mohammad Sarfaraz suffered gunshot injuries.

The five allegedly tried to flee to Nepal, which shares a border with Bahraich. They were identified as Mohammad Faheen, Mohammad Sarfaraz, Abdul Hameed, Mohammad Taleem alias Sabloo, and Mohammad Afzal.

By Friday, the Uttar Pradesh Police had arrested 87 people in Bahraich in connection with the rioting and around 1,000 people were booked after at least 11 FIRs were registered in the matter.

Circle Officer Rupendra Gaur, Tehsildar Ravikant Dwivedi and District Information Officer Ghulam Waris Siddiqui were removed from their positions after the violence. A station house officer and a police outpost in charge were suspended.

PWD issues demolition notice to accused

The PWD on Friday carried out “routine” inspections in the Mahrajganj area and took measurements of 20-25 houses, including that of Hameed, one of the men accused of having a role in Mishra’s killing. According to the notice at Hameed’s house, the PWD said the construction was “illegal” since it was built within 60 feet of the central point of the road in rural areas, which is not allowed.

The notice asked Hameed to vacate the construction within three days or it would be demolished “and the expenses incurred for this action will be recovered from you through revenue means.” District Magistrate Monika Rani on Friday told reporters that the “encroachments” were being removed to widen the roads in Mahrajganj.

An official on the condition of anonymity told news agency PTI it was a routine exercise conducted annually “to demolish houses built on the intersections, S curves or junction points of the road.”

Panic among shopkeepers

Shopkeepers in Bahraich emptied premises and salvaged their goods as the Public Works Department served notices to 23 establishments – 20 of them belonging to Muslims. BJP MLA from Mahsi Sureshwar Singh told PTI, “In all, there are around 50 shops. Barring one or two, most of them on the Mahrajganj bypass may face action. No one will be spared whatever may be their religion.”

Killers should suffer same fate: Deceased’s family

The wife of the man shot dead in Bahraich said she will get justice only when her husband’s killers are dead. Roli Mishra also accused the authorities of taking bribes to deny “justice” to her. She said her husband’s killers, though arrested, were yet to be killed. “We have been shown that they have got bullet wounds on their legs, but justice is not being done to us,” she said.

Kailash Nath Mishra, the father of Ram Gopal Mishra, told reporters he was satisfied with his meeting with Yogi Adityanath. “We are satisfied. We got what we demanded from the Chief Minister,” he said. The CM, Kailash Nath said, promised the family money to build a house, a job for his daughter-in-law, some cash, and an Ayushman card (health insurance cover). “What else is there to say, he has promised us all the facilities. But we demand our son’s killer must suffer the same fate,” he said.

Samajwadi Party leader stopped from visiting violence-hit district

On Saturday, Samajwadi Party leader Mata Prasad Pandey was stopped from coming to Bahraich through an advance notice by the collector.

The Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly said he was told not to go to Bahraich as the situation may get worse there. “If something goes wrong, they will blame us. The organisation has also given me the same advice and the DM has also asked me to come only after three days,” Pandey said.